When my husband and I were newlyweds, one of our first homes (i.e. places to live) was a little rented abode (I would call it a cottage but honestly it wasn’t that picturesque), which had electricity but little else. It had no running water and we heated it with a wood stove. Our 2-B, 0-BA, house did not even have an outhouse. With the help of my brother, that was built later and, when it came to temperatures of -40 below zero F, we quickly learned that a styrofoam seat atop the wood single-holer was a great luxury.

Now, 30 years later, we live in a 4-B, 2 1/2 BA home. In a sense, the kind of houses we’ve lived in has nothing to do with my topic for this blog except to point out that along the way I have discovered that some of my most valuable material possessions have little to do with price or market value.

After furnishing our various homes with everything from Garage Sale to brand new, and after raising three rambunctious boys, I’ve learned that broken antique plates, stained carpeting, broken vintage plate glass windows, and various other ruined “pricey” items, have never devastated me. But, over these many years, there are certain that I would be genuinely upset (i.e. freaked out) about if anything were to happen to them. To list a few:

* My kitchen scissors – Break a piece of my dinnerware and I merely blink. But, if someone dares to borrow my kitchen scissors and fails to return them to the proper drawer…I can not function. I don’t even remember when I first got them; as far as I know, I’ve had them my entire marriage, maybe before. I use those scissors all the time. They are one of my irreplaceables.

* Another is a good nail brush. Yes. A nail brush. For scrubbing toes and fingernails. The one I had was wonderful. I don’t remember how long I owned my beloved nail brush. But one day, I finally had to throw it out after nearly all the bristles had either broken off or fallen out. Little did I realize how hard it would be to find a replacement. Seriously. Aren’t nail brushes common? I thought they were. Until I started searching for another one. Maybe I just didn’t know where to look. I searched what I thought would be obvious places, like Bath & Body and the Dollar Store, with no luck. I hunted for over a year and was without one until only recently when I found a wood nail brush with I-don’t-know-what-kind-of-bristles…at a little antiques shop in Amana, Iowa. (BTW, the brush is new.) Paid $2.50 for it. It is now one of my invaluables.

* My Melaleuca Vanilla Bean Sun Shades Lip Balm. Do. Not. Touch. It. Actually, I mean them – I have two – keep one on a little tray in my bathroom and another in my purse. (I don’t even know the monetary price because my dear sister keeps me supplied.) But, I come unglued when I misplace that little stick of lip stuff. …Oh, Nancy, I am so sorry! I just did a web search and discovered a tube of that is $14.99! Are you serious? That really is pricey! And, it’s one of my irreplaceables.

* My aluminum hair clips. I’ve had them since I was a teenager…which was a while ago. Okay. I’ll give you a hint. I suspect I’ve had them since Buddy Holly was alive. I still use them. Daily. Have you ever noticed that some products just aren’t made with the same quality as they were years ago? My hair clips fit that category. Trust me, I’ve looked for new ones. When I travel, I take crappy newer clips because I don’t want to take the chance of losing my good ones. Monetary value – likely far less than five dollars – but to me, my retro aluminum hair clips are irreplaceable.

Naturally, this is only a partial list. Now that I think about it, it might not be a bad idea to make a complete list and take photos, and store the info in a fireproof strong box. For insurance purposes, of course.

great question Grace. Can I say my morning coffee/ visit/ snuggle routine w/ my bride? I know it’s not a “thing” but if it’s missing I am as out of sorts as you would be if all three of your special items were missing. I am currently partial to the little chair I currently use @ the dinner table, but I could suck it up if it did come up missing. always good to hear your thoughts. ps if you’re going to do a garden this year, I have a few heirloom tomato plants w/ your name on them under a grow light 🙂 (they’re on me, you just have to come get them) DM